I Can't Make You Love Me
by Krissy Muffinhead
Summary: Hermione finally gives in and goes to Draco one night. Now, a multi-part to Bonnie Raitt's song of the same title.
1. Chapter One

I Can't Make You Love Me

'I Can't Make You Love Me' written by Mike Reid and Allan Shamblin. Harry Potter

and all related characters and ideas belong to J.K. Rowling, etc., etc. I just borrowed

Malfoy and Hermione to mess around with them a little bit!

By Krissy Muffinhead

Hermione looked down at the arm encircling her waist. She could tell from

Draco's soft, steady breathing that he was asleep. She had come to him last night, aching

for him.

Turn down the lights

Turn down the bed

Turn down these voices

inside my head

He had run his hands down her sides, whispering 'Filthy mudblood' into her ear,

but she didn't care. She had guided his hands to the waistband of her skirt and felt him

pause in surprise before continuing. "This doesn't mean anything," she had whispered,

whether trying to convince him or herself, she wasn't sure.

"I know," he replied, not in the condescending tone she would have expected, but

in a serious sort of way.

Lay down with me

Tell me no lies

Just hold me close,

don't patronize

Don't patronize me

She knew he didn't love her, would never love her. That much was obvious.

They were simply too different; even if they did love each other, it wouldn't make a

difference. Their friends, families, and their own pride wouldn't allow them to be

together. But for tonight, this was all she wanted. For tonight, this charade would do.

Cause I can't make you love me

if you don't

You can't make your heart feel

something it won't

Hermione had flown to the stars and back that night. She had never felt so

amazing or alive. One kiss from Draco was like a lifetime with anyone else. His

touches, his caresses, were enough to drive her insane, to make her want to die and at the

same time never want to leave his bed. When she had gasped for air, Draco had

remained as inscrutable as ever.

Here in the dark

in these final hours

I will lay down my heart

And I'll feel the power

but you won't

No, you won't

Cause I can't make you love me

if you don't

She had closed her own eyes at that crucial moment, because she didn't want to

see what his eyes would tell her. More than that, she didn't want to give herself away.

She didn't want him to know that she loved him when he didn't feel the same.

I'll close my eyes

then I won't see

the love you don't feel

when you're holding me

His hand against her naked stomach moved suddenly, tracing a circle around her

bellybutton, and she knew he had awoken. She turned to look over her shoulder

nervously at him. He remained still, gazing at her for a few moments. She knew what

would happen next. She had heard stories of it often enough throughout all of the

Houses. Once Draco was satisfied, his victim would leave or he would make them go.

But he simply closed his eyes and tugged her closer so that she couldn't see him behind

her anymore. She knew he wasn't letting her stay due to love or even affection. It was

simply pity.

Morning will come

and I'll do what's right

just give me till then

to give up this fight

and I will give up this fight..

She closed her eyes, trying not to but allowing a tear to escape. She knew

tomorrow it would all be the same, that when they saw each other, the usual insults would

fly and he would smirk the same way he always did. This was as far as it could ever go –

a single night's passion stemming from her own desperation. But she wouldn't try to

make him love her. Before he awoke tomorrow, she would already be gone.

Cause I can't make you love me

if you don't

You can't make your heart feel

something it won't

Here in the dark

in these final hours

I will lay down my heart

And I'll feel the power

but you won't

No, you won't

Cause I can't make you love me

if you don't


	2. Chapter Two

Disclaimer: Don't own anything! And also, I'm sorry for the gratuitous sex! It wasn't me, it was the one-armed man!

I Can't Make You Love Me

Chapter 2

Hermione stepped into the prefect's bathroom, shutting the door quickly and leaning back against it. It was still early in the morning, about 5:30. Hermione sighed, straightening up and walking into one of the private showers. It was more of a room, really. There was a small counter, a mirror, and of course a shower.

She slowly stripped off her clothing, leaving herself bare before the mirror. Her soft eyes looked over her reflection. She didn't look any different, she thought. She just felt different. A mix of emotions kept running through her head. There were alternating moments between elation and revulsion at herself. Most of the time though, she just felt numb.

How could I have done that? she wondered, not for the first time. After all, it was...Malfoy. The sworn enemy of the Golden Trio, as some of the school had termed Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

She couldn't help it though. Even though she wasn't sure how she felt about last night, she didn't regret it. This she knew for sure.

She climbed into the shower, lathering up under a stream of burning hot water. She hummed a bit to herself, drifting off into thought, which invariably led back to Draco. Suddenly, she felt some of the same desire from last night coursing through her.

"Draco," she whispered softly, closing her eyes and imagining his hands on her. Abruptly, she realized what she was doing and shook her head roughly to snap out of it.

She got out and began toweling herself off, when she heard a sound outside of her own cubicle. She continued drying off, trying to be silent. She really didn't want to see anyone until she'd slept for a while and thought things through.

She tucked the towel around herself, and was just gathering up her things to leave when the door opened. Her jaw dropped as Draco Malfoy walked in and closed the door behind him.

"What are you doing here?" she blurted out before realizing she really didn't want to know.

He regarded her coolly. "What did you leave so soon?"

She gaped at him. "What?"

He didn't reply, but merely gave her a thorough look-over up and down, sporting his usual smirk. She only now realized she was still just wrapped in her towel.

She crossed her arms over her chest and lifted her chin. He had seen her naked only hours ago; she refused to be embarrassed now of all times.

"Why did you do it?" he asked in a low voice, suddenly dropping the smirk and taking a step closer. Involuntarily, she took a step back.

"Do what?" she said nervously, fiddling with the hem of her towel.

He shook his head at her and took another step closer. "Don't play dumb Granger. It doesn't look good on you."

She shifted uncomfortably, wanting to distance herself from him, but unable to do so unless she backed up into the shower. "I don't know. You're the last person I should want," she said awkwardly. "Harry and Ron would kill me if they knew..."

"Merlin, Hermione, is it always about your boy toys?" Draco said fiercely, taking another step closer so they were nearly chest-to-chest.

"So that's it," Hermione realized. "You just want to make sure I won't tell them, or anyone I suppose. Well, don't worry, there's no chance of that," she said defensively, pushing past him to walk out, but he caught her by the arms before she could.

She stared up at his face, which (unexpectedly) looked uncertain. He loosened his grip on her and slowly slid his hands up and down her arms, not meeting her eyes.

"Why did you really come here?" she said slowly.

He looked at her face again. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out for once.

Hermione was feeling that feverish feeling well up in her again. She couldn't take it, she felt like she was going to melt away or disappear or something equally dramatic. And worst of all, she hadn't seen it coming. It had never once been mentioned in the texts she so avidly poured over day after day. She had no way to fight it or understand it, and the only way to ease it seemed to be with him.

They eyes were still locked when she reached up to brush his lips with her own. His hand rose to cradle her chin for a moment before he groaned and his hand traveled southwards again.

He clasped her thighs and lifted her legs around his waist before maneuvering her on top of the counter. She responded by wrapping her arms around his neck. He tilted her head back a bit more and slid his tongue gently across her lower lip. He nibbled on it, and when she opened her mouth to gasp out in pleasure, he slid his tongue into her.

Hermione felt as if stars were exploding behind her eyes. He released her mouth, and made his way down her jaw line to her neck, where he licked and suckled for a few moments as she tilted her head back in torturous bliss.

She stroked her fingers across his hair tremblingly as he tossed aside their clothing (or lack thereof) and ran his hands over her. She cried out softly when he entered her, her muscles tensing up instinctively. She opened her eyes to look at him, and found him to be staring right back at her. They remained motionless for a moment, but then he lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her.

These kisses were sweeter then any he'd given her. Not only that, they were filled with something other than pure passion. Not love, she was certain, but maybe something...

They began moving against each other, Hermione's legs tightening around his hips. At the crucial moment, their lips came together again and they cried out, muffled within their mouths. Hermione panted for air, her legs feeling like jelly as they slipped from Draco's body.

His forehead came to rest against her own as he struggled for breath too. Eventually, Hermione recovered, and slid off the counter to stand.

"We can't just keep doing this," she said softly, her voice void of it's normal bossy tone.

His lips twitched with what was either a grimace or a grin. "No kidding. My father would kill me if he found out."

Just the way he said it made her certain he was not exaggerating. His father probably would kill them both if he found out.

Suddenly, they both heard a voice coming from the main area of the prefect bathroom.

"Hermione? Are you in here?" a female voice called.

"Shit, it's Ginny!" Hermione hissed, panicked. She shoved him into the shower, pulling the curtain shut behind him. Then she grabbed her towel and wrapped it around herself before peeking her head out the door.

"I was just taking a shower, Gin'," Hermione called out to her.

"There you are! Where have you been all night?" she said worriedly, coming over to the door. "Lavender and Parvati told me you haven't been in bed all night!"

Hermione heard a faint snicker come from behind her. She had been in bed after all, just not her bed.

"I was working on a project for Arithmancy. It's due in two weeks, and I haven't even finished researching it yet!" Hermione lied easily. Well, it wasn't really a lie. That was a big paper that she needed to work on.

Ginny rolled her eyes, but Hermione could detect that she was relived as well. "Geez, make us all worry and it turns out you were just studying the whole time! Anyways, breakfast is in a few minutes, so I'll meet you down there?" she asked.

"Sure!" Hermione said, attempting to turn her nervousness into cheerfulness. She waited until Ginny was gone for a minute before pulling the shower curtains back.

Draco was practically bent double with laughter.

"What's so funny?" she asked suspiciously, hands on hips.

"Merlin, you're friends are stupid," he laughed.

She frowned. "No they aren't! They just trusting," she defended them. He kept smirking, so she poked his stomach and said, "And I betrayed them to be with you, a slimy Slytherin git."

He smirked even more. "Better that than a goody-goody, know-it-all Gryffindor."

She rolled her eyes. "Put some clothes on, git."

"Never!" he said, pulling her into his arms and kissing her soundly.

Hermione laughed through their lips. Who knew Draco could be so...well, let's face it, downright giddy after sex?

She pulled away reluctantly. "I have to go meet Ginny. If I don't, she'll start getting suspicious."

"Not bloody likely," Draco muttered.

"Look who's talking, with friends like Crabbe and Goyle," she said.

"Don't talk about them," he groaned. "You're ruining the mood," he pulled her closer again.

"Stop trying to distract me," she said crossly. "It's not working."

He smirked, again. "Of course it's not." He bent down and flicked his tongue against her earlobe.

"That's it," she said with a shiver, pushing him away and grabbing her clothes. "I'll see you later." She walked out of the bathroom, and he heard the outer door shut firmly.

He stood there for a few minutes, thinking, wondering. "Maybe you will," he said finally, before getting dressed and heading back to his room.

Author's Notes: I wasn't going to make this into a series, but of couple of people seemed interested in that, so I thought why not? So you can either take the first part as a stand-alone, or a part in a series. I know the styles are pretty different, but you can't write a multi-part fic in that weird, dream-like way. ANYWAYS, please review if you feel the urge!

"Oh, you're beautiful, a beautiful fucked-up man..." –Sarah Mclachlin, Building a Mystery


	3. Chapter Three

Disclaimer: Clearly I don't own Harry Potter, because if I really was J.K. Rowling you can bet this fic would be a whole lot better!

I Can't Make You Love Me

Chapter Three

By Krissy Muffinhead

As Hermione walked into the Great Hall for breakfast, she could help but feel that everyone was watching her. It was still early for breakfast, so the tables weren't full, but she couldn't help but feel self-conscious. What if they know, one part of her said, before another chimed in, That's ridiculous! How could they possibly know?

"Hermione! Over here!" she heard Ginny call from the middle of the Gryffindor table.

She smiled and began to make her way over. Harry, Ron, and a few others were already there as well. "Hi guys, what's for breakfast?" she asked, sliding in between Ron and Seamus Finnegan with a smile.

She began eating her breakfast with such voracity that even Ron was impressed. "Wow Hermione, I've never seen you pack it away like that before!" Ron said in a blatantly admiring tone.

She stuck out her tongue, before wolfing down a few more bites. She glanced up at the entrance a couple times to see Draco come in. He glanced over at her and smirk what would seem to be a malicious smirk if she hadn't recognized the somewhat naughty wink he cast her way.

Smiling, she turned back to her plate. She had a particular craving for pancakes today… Wait, craving. That rang a bell. Cravings…pregnancy…Shit! She hadn't taken any birth control! Fuck, fuck, fuck!!!

Suddenly feeling ill, Hermione stood up quickly. "I forgot something, I have to go to the library," she said, leaving the table as fast as she could without drawing attention.

Harry's brow furrowed. "What's up with Hermione?"

None of the Gryffindors could answer.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

At the opposite side of the Great Hall, Draco saw Hermione practically bolt from her table with hardly a word of explanation. That's odd, he thought… As inconspicuously as he was able, he excused himself and headed out the door after her.

He barely saw her go around a corner, and he immediately recognized her path. The library. Where else would Granger go rushing off to out of nowhere?

There were other students in the hall. He couldn't be seen chasing after Granger; word spreads all too quickly at Hogwarts. So he casually headed off to the library, as if going to finish some homework.

When he got there, he glanced through some of the books before deciding to go for the direct approach. He walked right up to the stack where Hermione was looking through and said loudly, "Watch it, Mudblood, some of us have important things to do." Not his most original, granted, but he was too curious about what Hermione was doing to come up with something crueler.

She stared at in panic for a second before heading off to a secluded corner of the library. Glancing around him to see if anyone was watching, he soon followed.

When he got there, he was mystified to find her sitting down, fists clenched, body white and shaking. "Hermione? What's wrong?" he said quietly, sitting across from her.

"Draco, I'm so stupid… I didn't even… I mean, I knew, but I didn't know, and I just…" she said in a trembling voice, of the verge of panic.

"Calm down. What happened, tell me what happened," he instructed, still in a low voice.

She looked at him, her face pale and drawn. "I didn't use birth-control."

Draco blinked at her for a moment before smiling slightly. "Don't worry about it."

Her jaw literally dropped. "Don't worry about it? How can you saw that! Did you know that 70 of teen mothers…"

Draco cut her off with a shake of his head. "I did a protection charm, I thought you noticed." He smirked proudly. "I guess you were thinking about other things."

Her breathing seemed to become more even, and she said, "You mean I'm not…pregnant?" She whispered the last word as if it were taboo, which in reality, it was.

He nodded. "So now that you're not worried about that, I know of a good broom closet right around the corner from here."

She looked around, as if nervous someone had suddenly crept up and heard him. "No! Besides, we have to get to Potions now. What time is it?" She glanced at her own watch and gasped. "Shit! We're late!"

"Sucks to be you," he smirked. "Two-hundred points from Gryffindor."

"What about you?" she frowned, gathering her bag up.

"Are you kidding me? Snape loves me; then again, everyone loves me," he said, stressing the 'everyone' to let her know she was now among his legions of fans.

"Fuck you," she said rudely before jogging off to class.

He shook his head. "Who would have thought Granger could curse?" Then again, he mused, who would have thought she could have sex… and be good at it, no less?

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Miss Granger, so good of you to join us finally. I suggest you come on time in the future. Twenty points from Gryffindor," Snape said in his snape-y voice as Hermione slunk in, while Draco strode in a few lengths behind. Of course, he turned a blind eye to one of his own Slytherin.

She could tell Ron and Harry were busting to ask where she'd been, but with Snape's cold glare on them still, they couldn't. Good, she hadn't made up a story yet.

She was forced to focus on Snape's instructions and his notes of the board for the potion they would be brewing today. She gathered up the ingredients and began measuring, pouring, and stirring.

"Where were you?" Ron said out of the side of his mouth.

"Library," Hermione whispered back.

He rolled his eyes, and made a hand motion, like Go On…?

She shrugged, and bent closer to her cauldron as if to inspect her work. He sighed, chalking the questioning up to a lost cause until they were out of class.

A couple of times, she glanced to the front of the room where Draco was working, and tried to keep a smile off her face. It wasn't too hard; the whole situation was so surreal that she kept chasing each event around in her mind, going in circles until she came back to the main point – that it had happened, and she had wanted it. Both times, she grinned guiltily, stirring her potion.

"Miss Granger, I suggest you stop smirking in my class, or another twenty points will be mine," Snape said as he walked past her. Most of the class had turned to look at Hermione, Draco included. He cocked an eyebrow and she shot him a glare.

On their way out of class, Draco and Hermione attempted to squeeze through the door at the same time. "Watch it, Mudblood!" he snapped angrily, and she was taken aback for a moment, until she felt his slender fingers shove something into her robe.

She waited until she was alone in Ancient Runes as the first student in the class to see what it was. It was a folded piece of parchment that read in messy script, 'Tonight, midnight, Astronomy tower."

She frowned slightly. The Astronomy tower was a well-known make-out place among the students; why would he choose there to meet with her?

Oh well, she thought, tucking the note back into her pocket. She supposed she'd find out tonight at any rate.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Thank you all sooooo much for the reviews, I love it! This chapter was shorter than I was aiming for, because my mom just came down and told me to go to bed lol, so the next part will probably be Chapter 3 – part II! Sorry if this chapter is shitty – it will pick up soon, honestly!

"With you I feel I'm just spending wasted time…" -Faithless ft Dido, One Step Too Far


	4. Chapter Four part A

I Can't Make You Love Me

Chapter 4

Krissy Muffinhead

Disclaimer: PS - …as if you didn't know.

Draco came out of double Potions and headed straight for his room. He couldn't be near Hermione, even from across the Great Hall, without getting distracted.

He entered his dormitory and shrugged off the robe. Heat prickled uncomfortably across his scalp. He perched on his bed, digging out a quill and parchment from his book bag. How to begin, he thought. If not worded correctly, sometimes the punishments were disastrous. Biting his lip, he set down to work.

Dear Father,

School is going well, and I've had Quidditch training every day as you suggested. I have had no chance as of yet to do anything about the proposal you made in your last letter. I will continue to do my best in these regards.

Sincerely, Draco Malfoy

Draco set his quill aside and read over the letter again. It was short, but it was the most he could do given the situation. He had to be much more careful with his wording than his father was with the letters he sent to Draco. One never knew when outgoing owls would be checked. He rolled the letter up to be sent before he went class after the lunch break.

He sat for a moment, just thinking, before leaning over to get something from his bedside table. He unrolled the stiff parchment and scanned over the words again.

Draco,

Both my Lord and I wish to see you do well, and it is with this in mind that we send you this task. You must get Potter or one of his friends. Bring them to me, and our Lord will reward you richly. You will not be attending Hogwarts for much longer, and we need to start training you now. If you complete this successfully, you will be welcomed into the Dark Lord's inner circle come graduation time. You should feel blessed to be honoured in such a way.

Regards, Lucius Malfoy

Draco's jaw jutted out of it's own accord. Should he… could he, even… hand Hermione over to his father tonight? It would be the best time. They would be alone in a secluded area of the castle at night. There would be no clearer shot at her.

Draco's mind skipped back and forth between his choices, before deciding he would mail the letter as is and wait to see what came of the Hermione situation. Wait to weigh which would be the greater prize in the end.

His back straightened. What are you doing? Getting involved with a Mudblood? A curvy, soft, smart, feisty Mudblood who has you all mixed up, something in him replied.

"Shit," he cursed softly, getting up to mail the letter.

Hermione passed through the day feeling rather surreal. Every now and again, she would get an uncontrollable urge to giggle like mad. She hardly dared to raise her hand in class for fear that one of those episodes would occur when she opened her mouth.

She still had trouble comprehending the fact that she had slept with Draco Malfoy. She had known that he was cute, but his massive ego and prejudices had always over-shadowed that. So what made the difference between her hating him and suddenly jumping him one night? It was simple. One statement made by Harry at lunch one day over a month ago.

Ron had been ranting about Malfoy's overall jerkiness, and Harry had quietly replied, "I saw him with his father once. He was pretty quiet."

That was it. Ron had blown it off, and they had continued their meal talking about other things. But someone, that tiny little fragment of a thought got stuck in Hermione's mind. Maybe Malfoy wasn't completely bad. Yes, it was obvious that he was cruel, but maybe there was more to him.

She had begun casually noticing more about Malfoy than she had learned about him in the six previous years they had attended school together. For instance, he often mashed up all his food into one gelatinous blob on his plate before eating it. Gross, true, but Hermione viewed it as a window to his psyche. He was a perfect shell of ice to everyone, but maybe there was a mixed-up, genuine person beneath that.

Then, what had begun as an innocent study of what went on in Malfoy's mind turned into something much more. She had started noticing things that had nothing to do with anything. Like how he often brushed his fingers through the hair on the nape of his neck while leaning against his desk in class. Or how he opened his mouth ever so slightly when he was thinking of an answer to a professor's question. And before she could even register what it was, lust sprang upon her. But it was more than that at the same time.

Malfoy was like an adventure into the unknown, someone that she didn't know inside-and-out. That was the problem with going to a school like Hogwarts. You knew practically everything about everyone, and vice versa. But Draco was an enigma, someone that no one at Hogwarts knew completely. She had become almost obsessed with him, always watching him out of the corner of her eye. Yesterday, she had been unable to keep living this charade, pretending she wasn't enthralled with the mystery of Draco Malfoy.

"Miss Granger, I would appreciate it if you would save your daydreaming for outside class time," Professor McGonagall's clipped tone cut through Hermione's reflection.

Hermione felt her face burn. "Sorry, Professor," she said softly, hating the feeling of guilt emerging.

McGonagall's expression didn't change, but she felt a bit worried about the girl. She had never been anything less than attentive in her lessons. She carried on anyways, and made a mental note to speak to Hermione after class.

She never got the chance though, because as soon as the clock chimed signaling the end of the class, Hermione was gone.

Author's Note: I know, whoever said it, I can't stand 'Pregnant Hermione' most of the time, but I didn't include any birth control references in the other chapters, so I figured if I was Hermione, I would be a little concerned. Also, thanks for the reviews! They make me happy… but just so everyone knows; there are much better fics out there so check them out!!! Also, frightfully sorry for the super short chapter, but it's the best I can do given exams are next week and my art summative is due tomorrow!

"Whenever I'm alone with you, you make me feel like I am clean again." – The Cure


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